Science Blog

Welcome to the Group!

I once published a newsletter for an exclusive bed and breakfast. In the spirit of transparency, I was in elementary school and used a manual typewriter and carbon paper to create a newspaper of sorts that followed the activities in our house. There was riveting content such as what was for dinner, whose turn it was to clean the kitchen, and whether it was cold enough outside for the innkeeper (that would be my dad) to start a fire in the fireplace. Fast forward just a few years later, and I’m working on a new type of newsletter that will hopefully have a little broader readership than just my parents and my sister.

Welcome to the newly launched blog for science education leaders and supervisors—and perhaps a few who just love science and want to reflect on how best to grow young scientists. We’re a unique and exclusive group with needs that are different from other educational administrators. We get to work with teachers to find ways to encourage students to keep goggles on their faces during labs, we can discuss all types of body parts and their functions with a straight face, and we can explain to principals and parents the importance of quality science instruction each and every day at all grade levels. So what might we have to offer to make it worth your while to spend a few minutes with us every couple of weeks? Here’s the general idea.

Topics That Are Timely for the School Year

In the busyness of coordinating science instruction, we sometimes forget the big issues that arise during the cyclic nature of the school year calendar. We’ll remind you of a few of those things and perhaps present some nuggets to help you better define your practices or consider some next steps. We’ll hit on budgeting, hiring (or providing support to those who hire) science teachers, and digging into all types of data to help us all be better than we are right now.

Things to Think about and Ways to Grow and Improve

Don’t you love making a new friend with common interests and finding out their thoughts and opinions about what matters to you? Consider us a new friend with the common interest of supervising science instruction. You just might discover a new way to analyze a challenge or a way to work with a resistant teacher or principal.

Encouragement when You Are Frustrated

You likely spend much of your time working to inspire your science teachers, but it’s equally likely that you don’t receive much encouragement from others. We get it. Let’s find ways to think about all that we accomplish and take a breath or two to celebrate.

A Smile in the Midst of a Busy Day

We’ll tackle some serious issues, but it’s okay to share a few stories that bring a smile. There’s a reason we are a quirky and nerdy bunch, and we have some stories to tell about how we got that way.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Just like a science fair petri dish, we’ll grow and change over time, but there will always be something to study, reflect on, and learn. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Region4Science) or bookmark this blog and look for new content on the 1st and 15th of each month.